四六级必读美文系列:职业生涯的危机

 　　In the new movie Up in the Air, Anna Kendrick stars opposite George Clooney as Natalie Keener, an ambitious new college graduate who takes a job at a company whose business is to fire people.

　　在最新影片《在云端》中，安娜·肯德里克与乔治·克鲁尼演对手戏。她饰演娜塔莉·基纳一一一位刚刚在一家替其他企业裁员的公司谋到一份职位的充满抱负的大学毕业生。

　　(1) Natalie quickly gets to work developing a videoconferencing system that saves the company millions by performing terminations online. While on a cross-country trip to learn the rope，however, Natalie is shaken by the emotional implications of her prized job and quits.

　　(1)娜塔莉很快就适应了新工作，并且通过开发一种视频电话会议系统，可以在网上般人就鱼，从而帮她所在的公司节省了数百万美元的资金。然而，在一次为熟悉业务的全国旅行中，她为自己本来引以为傲的这份工作给别人的情感带来的重大影响感到震惊，并且最终提出了辞呈。

　　These days, many people---young and old---are experiencing a career-life crisis, asking: "What do I do when I realize my dream job isn't so wonderful after all?"

　　眼下，很多人一一无论老少，都在经历着一场职业生涯的危机。他们都在扪心自问：当我意识到自己一直梦想的那份工作其实不怎么样的时候，我该怎么办?

　　Not long after Christine Hassler, 33 years old, of Los Angeles landed a prestigious¹ and lucrative² job as a Hollywood agent, she found herself arriving at work with knots in her stomach and counting the minutes until the weekend.

　　今年33岁、来自洛杉矶的克里斯汀·哈斯勒在一家好莱坞代理机构谋得一份令人羡慕、报酬丰厚的职位。但是不久之后，她就发现自己每次来上班的时候总是充满不安，上班后分分衫、秒都在盼望周末快点到来。

　　"I didn't like the job, and I didn't like the person I was becoming while doing it-stressed out, irritable³ and unmotivated," she says.

　　她说，"我根本不喜欢这份工作，也不喜欢因为这份工作而逐渐改变的自己一一顿疲力尽、暴躁易怒、没有斗志。"

　　Recognize the Impact

　　认识影响

　　(2) Securing a position in your most desired field is a major achievement, and when the day-to-day work doesn't turn out to be as great as you thought it would be, it's normal to feel depressed⁴，disappointed and confused.

　　（2）在你梦想的领域获得一份工作是一项重要的成就，而当日常工作结果并非你想象的那么完美的时候，感到沮丧、失望和困惑是非常正常的现象。

　　You may feel powerless to make a decision, and this state of limbo⁵ can cause you to experience physical symptoms like insomnia⁶, malaise and stomachaches.

　　你可能会感到无力作出决定，而这种没着没落的感觉可能会使你经历种种症状，比如失眠、莫名的不适和胃痛。

　　Examine Expectations

　　审视期望值

　　The way to cope is first to examine your expectations. Says Ms. Hassler: (3)"Often, the first few years at a job aren't the most thrilling because you're learning the ropes, and it may be unreasonable⁷ to think that you'll be jumping out of bed to go to work every day, or that you'll get promoted before you've had time to prove yourself."

　　“应对这种状况的办法，首先就是审视自己的期望值。”哈斯勒女士说. (3)一般来说，每份新工作的最初几年都不会那么令人兴奋，原因是你还在熟悉业务当中。这时候，要求自己每天都很积极地起床上班，或者希望自己在有时间证明自身价值之前就得到提升，可能都是不合情理的的想法。

　　Plan on the Sidelines

　　自我规划

　　If you're certain that you've made a wrong turn　not to get mired⁸ in feelings of negativity. "If you go to work every day with a woe－is-me attitude, you are going to feel even worse," says Ms. Hassler, who eventually left Hollywood to become a life coach and book author. She suggests talking about your feelings with a friend or mentor⁹, but keeping your game face on at work.

　　如果你肯定自己的职业选择是错误的一步，那么也要试着不让自己陷在负面情绪里无法自拔。哈斯勒女士说，如果你每天去上班的时候都抱着我很倒霉的态度，那么你会感觉更差。哈斯勒女士最终离开了好莱坞，成为了一位生活指导和作家。她建议和朋友或者导师畅谈自己的感想，但是在工作的时候则要保持正常心态。

　　Maintain your work reputation and in your free time you can start putting plans in place to transition your career. (4) Begin researching positions that are a better fit for your skills and interests, start saving money, and attend networking activities in different industries so that you can get plugged into their communities.

　　一方面保持在工作上的声望，一方面在闲暇的时候开始自我规划，为职业转型做好准备。 (4)不妨开始研究更加适合自己技能和兴趣的职位，开始存钱，参加不同行业的社交活动，以便将来能够进入它们的领域。

　　Take the Pressure Off

　　消除压力

　　And don't do anything rash. Although it's normal to make a career detour¹⁰, it's also hard work, so you'll be well served to consider your next move carefully. (5) Putting pressure on yourself to find the perfect career right now will not make it happen any faster, so remove the sense of urgency.

　　不要行事鲁莽。虽然职业转型遇挫是很正常的事情，但是这也意味着要付出努力，因此仔细考虑自己的下一步行动有利无害。(5)给自己太多压力，要求自己马上找到完美的职业，只会适得其反，因此不要有紧迫感。

　　"Relax and spend some time getting to know yourself," says Ms. Hassler. "As we get a clearer picture of who we are, then what we want to do becomes easier to identify."

　　哈斯勒女士说，“不妨放松心情，花些时间了解自己。随着我们越来越清楚自己是谁，那么也就更加容易找到我们到底想做什么。”

　　四六级句型讲解

　　1. Natalie quickly gets to work developing a videoconferencing system that saves the company millions by performing terminations online.

　　本句是一个复合句，主句是Natalie quickly gets to work。 developing a videoconferencing system现在分词短语作方式状语。that 引导限制性定语从句，修饰system。

　　语法重点：分词短语作状语，定语从句

　　2. Securing a position in your most desired field is a major achievement, and when the day-to-day work doesn't turn out to be as great as you thought it would be, it's normal to feel depressed，disappointed and confused.

　　本句是一个复合句，主句是Securing a position …major achievement 和it's normal to feel depressed, disappointed and confused。第一个句子中 securing a position...field动名词短语作主语。when引导时间状语从句。

　　语法重点：动名词短语作主语，时间状语从句

　　3. "Often, the first few years at a job aren't the most thrilling because you're learning the ropes, and it may be unreasonable to think that you'll be jumping out of bed to go to work every day, or that you'll get promoted before you've had time to prove yourself."

　　本句是一个复合句。because引导原因状语从句。it是形式主语，真正的主语是后面的不定式短语，to think…prove yourself. 其中两个that引导两个宾语从句，作think的宾语。第二个从句中， before引导时间状语从句。

　　语法重点：原因状语从句，形式主语，宾语从句，时间状语从句

　　4. Begin researching positions that are a better fit for your skills and interests, start saving money, and attend networking activities in different industries so that you can get plugged into their communities.

　　本句是一个复合句。 Begin researching positions, start saving money和attend networking activities in different industries是三个并列的祈使句。that引导限制性定语从句，修饰positions. so that引导目的状语从句。

　　语法重点：祈使句，定语从句，目的状语从句

　　5. Putting pressure on yourself to find the perfect career right now will not make it happen any faster, so remove the sense of urgency.

　　本句是两个简单句。第一个句子中. Putting pressure...right now 动名词短语作主语，其中to find...right now不定式短语作目的状语。 happen any faster是make的宾语补足语。

　　语法重点：动名词作主语，不定式短语作状语，宾语补足语

1 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

2 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

3 irritable   

adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的

参考例句：

• He gets irritable when he's got toothache.他牙一疼就很容易发脾气。
• Our teacher is an irritable old lady.She gets angry easily.我们的老师是位脾气急躁的老太太。她很容易生气。

4 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

5 limbo   

n.地狱的边缘；监狱

参考例句：

• His life seemed stuck in limbo and he could not go forward and he could not go back.他的生活好像陷入了不知所措的境地，进退两难。
• I didn't know whether my family was alive or dead.I felt as if I was in limbo.我不知道家人是生是死，感觉自己茫然无措。

6 insomnia   

n.失眠，失眠症

参考例句：

• Worries and tenseness can lead to insomnia.忧虑和紧张会导致失眠。
• He is suffering from insomnia.他患失眠症。

7 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

8 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

10 detour   

n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道

参考例句：

• We made a detour to avoid the heavy traffic.我们绕道走，避开繁忙的交通。
• He did not take the direct route to his home,but made a detour around the outskirts of the city.他没有直接回家，而是绕到市郊兜了个圈子。